---
name: "Akiva Goldsman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/akiva-goldsman"
fi1m_id: "akiva-goldsman"
imdb_id: "nm0326040"
tmdb_id: 5575
wikidata_id: "Q419454"
roles: ["Writer","Producer","Director"]
born: "7 July 1962"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 21
average_fi1m_score: 54
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 12
updated: "2026-10-05T19:49:00.542841+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Akiva Goldsman

## Identity

Akiva Goldsman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/akiva-goldsman
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** akiva-goldsman
- **IMDb ID:** nm0326040
- **TMDB ID:** 5575
- **Wikidata ID:** Q419454
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiva_Goldsman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q419454, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326040/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5575

Writer and producer. Born 7 July 1962 in New York City, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer, Producer, Director
- **Born:** 7 July 1962, New York City, New York, USA
- **Active:** 1994–present
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 21: 3 acting, 3 directing, 12 writing, 3 producing
- **Frequently works with:** [Ron Howard](https://film.one/person/ron-howard.md), [Brian Grazer](https://film.one/person/brian-grazer.md), [Joel Schumacher](https://film.one/person/joel-schumacher.md), [Alex Kurtzman](https://film.one/person/alex-kurtzman.md), [Nicole Kidman](https://film.one/person/nicole-kidman.md), [Sandra Bullock](https://film.one/person/sandra-bullock.md), [Will Smith](https://film.one/person/will-smith-2888.md), [Arnon Milchan](https://film.one/person/arnon-milchan.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 54, as writer, over 12 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 56 (5), 2000s 62 (11), 2010s 47 (2), 2020s 63 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 54 to 51 across 12 titles
- **Score spread:** 0 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 7 under 60
- **Genres:** Thriller 5, Action 4, Drama 4, Science Fiction 4, Crime 3, Fantasy 3
- **Screen time:** 26 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $4,086m across 12 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiva_Goldsman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q419454, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326040/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5575

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Star Trek: Strange New Worlds*](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-strange-new-worlds.md) (77), [*I, Robot*](https://film.one/film/i-robot.md) (66), [*Star Trek: Picard*](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-picard.md) (64), [*A Beautiful Mind*](https://film.one/film/a-beautiful-mind.md) (62), [*The Da Vinci Code*](https://film.one/film/the-da-vinci-code.md) (42)
- **Disney+:** [*Fringe*](https://film.one/tv/fringe.md) (80), [*Practical Magic*](https://film.one/film/practical-magic.md) (60)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*I Am Legend*](https://film.one/film/i-am-legend.md) (65), [*Angels & Demons*](https://film.one/film/angels-and-demons.md) (54)
- **HBO Max:** [*Batman Forever*](https://film.one/film/batman-forever.md) (56), [*Batman & Robin*](https://film.one/film/batman-and-robin.md) (35)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Akiva Goldsman

> Akiva Goldsman’s scripts work best when actors have room to make people complicated. Too often, explanation and reassurance take over; his shared work on *Fringe* gives us more to recommend than most of the films we have reviewed.

In *Batman & Robin* (1997), Batman and Robin have plenty to say to each other, but little that makes their partnership worth following. Akiva Goldsman can keep dialogue coming long after it has stopped telling us anything useful about the people speaking. His early work with director Joel Schumacher included the adaptations *The Client* (1994) and *A Time to Kill* (1996), alongside *Batman Forever* (1995). In *Batman & Robin*, the inventive sets and an amusing Uma Thurman give us pleasures the central partnership cannot supply.

*A Beautiful Mind* (2001), directed by Ron Howard, is more rewarding, though Goldsman’s wish to reassure us limits it. We were moved by Jennifer Connelly’s Alicia Nash because she made the effort of understanding her husband feel like work that would need doing again tomorrow. The screenplay too often treats her as a source of comfort for Nash when her own experience deserves attention. It also spends more time establishing his exceptional ability than helping us understand why the mathematics matters. Further adaptations with Howard included *The Da Vinci Code* (2006) and *Angels & Demons* (2009).

His work as a writer and director on *Fringe* (2008) gives us considerably more to recommend. He is one contributor to a large production, and its success cannot be claimed for his writing alone. As a director, working alongside Brad Anderson and others, he helps keep the cases brisk while giving the laboratory scenes time. John Noble’s Walter Bishop benefits from that patience. The programme takes most of a season to find its purpose, but allowing Walter time makes its warmth convincing.

*Practical Magic 2* (2026), written with Georgia Pritchett and directed by Susanne Bier, returns to the less satisfying habit of making characters explain too much. The family curse and expanded magical history produce a thin, tangled story, while the sentiment becomes sugary. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman remain convincing sisters, but their warmth has to compensate for awkward material. We would rather see Goldsman give the performers more room than supply another explanation. Start with *Fringe*, allowing for a first season that takes too long to settle.

## Biography

Akiva Goldsman is an American screenwriter, producer and director. Born in New York City on 7 July 1962, he graduated from Wesleyan University and attended New York University’s graduate fiction-writing programme.

His screenwriting credits include *Batman Forever* (1995), *Practical Magic* (1998) and its sequel *Practical Magic 2* (2026), *A Beautiful Mind* (2001), for which he received the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Adapted Screenplay, *I, Robot* (2004), *The Da Vinci Code* (2006), *I Am Legend* (2007) and *Angels & Demons* (2009). He has also worked extensively in television as co-creator of *Star Trek: Strange New Worlds* and co-developer of *Star Trek: Picard* and the series *Titans*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, collider.com.*

## On Fi1m (21)

### Performed in (3)

- *Star Trek Into Darkness* (2013), Fi1m 60, as Starfleet Admiral — [page](https://film.one/film/star-trek-into-darkness.md)
- *Star Trek* (2009), Fi1m 81, as Vulcan Council Member — [page](https://film.one/film/star-trek.md)
- *Hancock* (2008), Fi1m 54, as Executive — [page](https://film.one/film/hancock.md)

### Directed (3)

- *Star Trek: Strange New Worlds* (2022), Fi1m 77, Executive Producer, Teleplay, Creator, Story, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-strange-new-worlds.md)
- *Star Trek: Picard* (2020), Fi1m 64, Creator, Writer, Story, Director, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-picard.md)
- *Fringe* (2008), Fi1m 80, Story, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/fringe.md)

### Wrote (12) — the average rests on these

- *Practical Magic 2* (2026), Fi1m 48, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/practical-magic-2.md)
- *Transformers: The Last Knight* (2017), Fi1m 34, Story — [page](https://film.one/film/transformers-the-last-knight.md)
- *Angels & Demons* (2009), Fi1m 54, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/angels-and-demons.md)
- *I Am Legend* (2007), Fi1m 65, Screenplay, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/i-am-legend.md)
- *The Da Vinci Code* (2006), Fi1m 42, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/the-da-vinci-code.md)
- *I, Robot* (2004), Fi1m 66, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/i-robot.md)
- *A Beautiful Mind* (2001), Fi1m 62, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/a-beautiful-mind.md)
- *Practical Magic* (1998), Fi1m 60, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/practical-magic.md)
- *Batman & Robin* (1997), Fi1m 35, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/batman-and-robin.md)
- *A Time to Kill* (1996), Fi1m 55, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/a-time-to-kill.md)
- *Batman Forever* (1995), Fi1m 56, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/batman-forever.md)
- *The Client* (1994), Fi1m 72, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/the-client.md)

### Produced (3)

- *Poseidon* (2006), Fi1m 55, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/poseidon.md)
- *Constantine* (2005), Fi1m 62, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/constantine.md)
- *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* (2005), Fi1m 64, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/mr-and-mrs-smith-2005.md)

## Complete filmography (70)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Practical Magic 2* (2026), Screenplay — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/practical-magic-2.md)
- *The Crowded Room* (2023), series, as Doctor · Writer, Executive Producer, Creator
- *Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event* (2023), Executive Producer
- *Meet Cute* (2022), Producer
- *Firestarter* (2022), Producer
- *Star Trek: Strange New Worlds* (2022), series, Executive Producer, Teleplay, Story, Director, Writer, Creator — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-strange-new-worlds.md)
- *Back to the Outback* (2021), Executive Producer
- *Tom Clancy's Without Remorse* (2021), Producer
- *The Map of Tiny Perfect Things* (2021), Producer
- *Star Trek: Picard* (2020), series, Executive Producer, Director, Writer, Story, Creator — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-picard.md)
- *Doctor Sleep* (2019), Executive Producer
- *Titans* (2018), series, Executive Producer, Writer, Director, Teleplay, Story, Creator
- *Star Trek: Discovery* (2017), series, Director, Executive Producer, Story
- *The Dark Tower* (2017), Screenplay, Producer
- *Transformers: The Last Knight* (2017), Story — Fi1m 34, [page](https://film.one/film/transformers-the-last-knight.md)
- *King Arthur: Legend of the Sword* (2017), Producer
- *Stephanie* (2017), Director
- *Rings* (2017), Screenplay
- *Underground* (2016), series, Executive Producer
- *The 5th Wave* (2016), Screenplay
- *Breakthrough* (2015), series, Director
- *Insurgent* (2015), Screenplay
- *Winter's Tale* (2014), Producer, Screenplay, Director
- *Lone Survivor* (2013), Producer
- *Star Trek Into Darkness* (2013), as Starfleet Admiral — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/star-trek-into-darkness.md)
- *Paranormal Activity 4* (2012), Executive Producer
- *Paranormal Activity 3* (2011), Executive Producer
- *Paranormal Activity 2* (2010), Executive Producer
- *Jonah Hex* (2010), Producer
- *Fair Game* (2010), Producer
- *The Losers* (2010), Producer
- *Star Trek* (2009), as Vulcan Council Member — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/star-trek.md)
- *Angels & Demons* (2009), Screenplay — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/angels-and-demons.md)
- *Kings* (2009), series, Director
- *Fringe* (2008), series, Director, Writer, Story — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/fringe.md)
- *Hancock* (2008), as Executive · Producer — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/hancock.md)
- *I Am Legend: Awakening - Story 2: Isolation* (2008), Creative Consultant
- *I Am Legend* (2007), Producer, Screenplay — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/i-am-legend.md)
- *I'm Reed Fish* (2007), Executive Producer
- *Brooklyn Rules* (2007), Executive Producer
- *The Da Vinci Code* (2006), Screenplay — Fi1m 42, [page](https://film.one/film/the-da-vinci-code.md)
- *Poseidon* (2006), Producer — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/poseidon.md)
- *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* (2005), Producer — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/mr-and-mrs-smith-2005.md)
- *Cinderella Man* (2005), Screenplay
- *Constantine* (2005), Producer — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/constantine.md)
- *Unscripted* (2005), series, as Akiva Goldsman
- *I, Robot* (2004), Screenplay — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/i-robot.md)
- *Starsky & Hutch* (2004), Producer
- *A Beautiful Mind* (2001), Writer — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/a-beautiful-mind.md)
- *Deep Blue Sea* (1999), Producer
- *Practical Magic* (1998), Screenplay — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/practical-magic.md)
- *Felicity* (1998), series, as Guest Speaker
- *Lost in Space* (1998), Screenplay, Producer
- *Batman & Robin* (1997), Writer — Fi1m 35, [page](https://film.one/film/batman-and-robin.md)
- *A Time to Kill* (1996), Screenplay — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/a-time-to-kill.md)
- *Batman Forever* (1995), Screenplay — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/batman-forever.md)
- *Silent Fall* (1994), Writer
- *The Client* (1994), Screenplay — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/the-client.md)
- *Howl*, Producer
- *Rainbow Six*, Producer
- *Billion Dollar Spy*, Producer
- *Caster*, Producer
- *I Am Legend 2*, Producer
- *Seesaw Monster*, Producer
- *Stray*, Producer
- *Monster High*, Producer
- *Basketful of Heads*, Producer
- *Space Invaders*, Producer
- *Thumb*, Producer
- *Constantine 2*, Writer

## Gallery

- ![Akiva Goldsman](https://film.one/media/person/92246/gallery-8d0a87f805c9.jpg) Akiva Goldsman — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Akiva_Goldsman_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg/1280px-Akiva_Goldsman_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers, Ethan Peck, and Celia Rose Gooding at the 2025 NYCC Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Panel.](https://film.one/media/person/92246/gallery-e2fbb38b601a.jpg) Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers, Ethan Peck, and Celia Rose Gooding at the 2025 NYCC Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Panel. — Vbrunophotog, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Akiva_Goldsman%2C_Henry_Alonso_Myers%2C_Ethan_Peck%2C_and_Celia_Rose_Gooding_at_the_2025_NYCC_Star_Trek_Strange_New_Worlds_Panel.jpg/1280px-Akiva_Goldsman%2C_Henry_Alonso_Myers%2C_Ethan_Peck%2C_and_Celia_Rose_Gooding_at_the_2025_NYCC_Star_Trek_Strange_New_Worlds_Panel.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Akiva Goldsman, J.H. Wyman, Jeff Pinkner, Ralph Garman (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/92246/gallery-e984d4a0072a.jpg) Akiva Goldsman, J.H. Wyman, Jeff Pinkner, Ralph Garman (2011) — Genevieve, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Akiva_Goldsman%2C_J.H._Wyman%2C_Jeff_Pinkner%2C_Ralph_Garman_%285741423550%29.jpg/1280px-Akiva_Goldsman%2C_J.H._Wyman%2C_Jeff_Pinkner%2C_Ralph_Garman_%285741423550%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Akiva Goldsman, J.H. Wyman (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/92246/gallery-288cdeac79c7.jpg) Akiva Goldsman, J.H. Wyman (2011) — Genevieve, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Akiva_Goldsman%2C_J.H._Wyman_%285740917059%29.jpg/1280px-Akiva_Goldsman%2C_J.H._Wyman_%285740917059%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Akiva Goldsman](https://film.one/media/person/92246/gallery-a904efe501ff.jpg) Akiva Goldsman — Image via TMDB
- ![Akiva Goldsman speaking at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Star Trek: Picard", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Ple](https://film.one/media/person/92246/gallery-5b9b8503caaf.jpg) Akiva Goldsman speaking at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Star Trek: Picard", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Ple — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Akiva_Goldsman_%2848445255887%29.jpg/1280px-Akiva_Goldsman_%2848445255887%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Akiva Goldsman (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/92246/gallery-432e522e1236.jpg) Akiva Goldsman (2011) — Genevieve, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Akiva_Goldsman_%285740902237%29.jpg/1280px-Akiva_Goldsman_%285740902237%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 2002: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (won), for *A Beautiful Mind*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/akiva-goldsman